Fans are once again disappointed in “Wheel of Fortune.” This time, it’s over a technicality that resulted in a player losing even after giving a correct answer.
On Wednesday’s episode, David Pederson had just about solved the daily crossword puzzle, which consisted of four words under the category of “Catch of the Day.” Pederson was just two letters short of completely filling out the puzzle, so he opted to solve it.
“Don’t add anything,” host Pat Sajak warned Pederson, who then supplied, “Sole, flounder, cod, and catfish” as his final guess. But, because he added the word “and” in listing the words, the answer was declared incorrect. Fellow contestant Danielle Williams then answered correctly by listing the same fish but not saying “and.”
Wheel of Fortune does not need to be like this#WheelOfFortune pic.twitter.com/EQ9E2R00dE
— slashkevin (@slashkevin) March 31, 2021
“I thought that’s what you said,” Williams remarked to Pederson, to which Sajak responded by reiterating the rule that “and” cannot be part of the answer.
Naturally, Pederson appeared disappointed — and he wasn’t the only one. People swiftly came to his defense on Twitter, mocking the rule that once again created an unnecessary loss.
They need to fix that freakin' "and" rule for #WheelOfFortune crossword puzzles. Come on.
— MitchO (@MitchO) March 31, 2021
@WheelofFortune Fix your moronic and rule or at the beginning of each game remind contestants about it. Otherwise your show will be canceled in due time. When someone knows the answer, they know it. Technicalities are the bane of this world.
— Kadabvra (@kadabvra) April 1, 2021
Bad call @WheelofFortune on the #crossword loss. Change the rule to allow "and," allow @patsajak to SPECIFICALLY remind contestants not to add "and" before solving in the category, or just get rid of the category altogether! @TheVannaWhite
— Luke Jensen (@QuesterLEJ) April 1, 2021
Then again, they were some outliers who had little sympathy for Pederson getting tripped up by the rule. “Rules are rules,” one user tweeted. “They all know the rule and [Pat Sajak] even reminds them when they solve “not to add anything.”
No, they don't need to fix the "and rule". Rules are rules. They all know the rule and @patsajak even reminds them when they solve "not to add anything". Do I like the rule? NO, but it's a rule. I felt bad for him and would probably do it too, but that's too bad. #WheelOfFortune
— Novafan23 (@Novafan23) April 1, 2021
https://twitter.com/dickerds/status/1377706282149285889?s=20
Sorry folks, but, Wheel of Fortune has rules when it comes to solving their puzzles. Their briefed prior and the host also cautions them. You snooze, you lose.
— Reality Man (@SteveSw67633197) April 1, 2021
This isn’t the first time the rule has bitten a contestant, and it’s not the first time “Wheel of Fortune” has been under scrutiny.
In February, fans were disappointed when ABC ran an episode of “Celebrity Wheel of Fortune” in which former host of “The Bachelor” Chris Harrison was a contestant. Though the episode was filmed in December, it ran after Chris Harrison had stepped back from “The Bachelor” over racially insensitive comments.
